PLATE TECTONICS

Distribution of active volcanoes, earthquake

epicenters, and mountain ranges.
Learning Competency:

The learners should be able to describe the

distribution of active volcanoes, earthquake
epicenters, and major mountain belts.
Volcanism
• A mechanism by which magma rises onto the Earth’s crust
through a volcanic vent and flows along the Earth’s surface.
• There are three types of volcanism:
1. Spreading center volcanism
2. Subduction zone volcanism
3. Intraplate or hotspot volcanism
Types of Volcanism
1. Spreading center volcanism – commonly at divergent plate
boundaries in the ocean floor.
- It involves the separation of two oceanic plates that
creates an oceanic rift or a mid-ocean ridge from which
magma rising form the Earth’s surface escapes.
 u nd a ry
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Dive
Types of Volcanism
2. Subduction zone volcanism – happens when two plates
diverge, move away from each other and collide with the
other plate next to them.
- The collision of plates form convergent plate boundary,
in which subduction in lithosphere occurs, especially
during an oceanic convergence or an oceanic-
continental convergence.
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Convergent plate boundary
Types of Volcanism
3. Intraplate or hotspot volcanism – takes place deep within
the Earth’s interior region.
- The Earth’s core generates heat, which is absorbed by
the mantle.
- The heat is absorbed by the within the plates and the
mantle can induce volcanic activity as it melts rocks and
pushes the resulting magma up a volcanic vent.
Intraplate or hotspot
volcanism
Review:
Where do volcanoes usually form?
• Volcanoes are formed along plate boundaries and over hotspots
dispersed throughout the planet.
• Some of these volcanoes have been active for a long period of
time, while others have gone extinct after being separated from a
magma chamber.
• The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has plotted the
different locations across Earth where most volcanic activities
occurs. The map it created is shown in the next slide.
• The red marks on the volcanic map of the United States
Geological Survey indicates the sites where the most active
volcanoes are located.
• As you may notice, most of the volcanoes are found along the
belt of the Pacific Ring of Fire (Circum-Pacific Belt)
DISTRIBUTION OF ACTIVE VOLCANOES IN THE PHILIPPINES
Active Volcanoes in the Philippines
1. Babuyan Claro 9. Didicas
2. Banahaw 10. Hibok-hibok
3. Biliran (Anas) 11. Iraya
4. Bud Dajo 12. Iriga
5. Bulusan 13. Isarog
6. Cabalian 14. Kanlaon
7. Cagua 15. Leonard Knisseff
8. Camiguin de Babuyanes 16. Makaturing
Active Volcanoes in the Philippines
17. Matutum
18. Mayon
19. Musuan (Calayo)
20. Parker
21. Pinatubo
22. Ragabg
23. Smith
24. Taal
The Anatomy of Earthquake
Earthquake Epicenter
• Scientist can determine the central point of an earthquake on
the surface of the earth with the use of seismograms.
• Seismo is a term which comes from a Greek word seismos
which means “earthquake.”
• Seismology is the study of earthquakes.
• Scientist who study earthquake are called seismologist.
Magnitude and Intensity
• Seismographs also measure an earthquake’s magnitude, a
quantitative value that measures the amount of energy released
from the focus of an earthquake.
• Intensity on the other hand, measure the earthquake’s strength
based on its impact on a specific location.
• The Richter magnitude scale is an apparatus that indicates
the magnitude of an earthquake using a logarithm that
interprets the wave amplitudes on a seismogram.
Seismograph vs Seismogram
Magnitude and Intensity
• Rossi-Forel Intensity Scale by Italian Michele de Rossi and
Swiss Francois-Alphones Forel in late 19th century was used
formerly by PHIVOLCS before developing its own intensity
scale.
• Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale is used by United States
seismologist.
• This scale uses Roman numerals to denote the levels of
intensity.
• Philippines in the present use the PHIVOLCS Earthquake
Distribution of Earthquake
• Earthquakes are more likely to occur in areas where the faulting
and folding of Earth’s crust are common.
• Earthquake usually happen along divergent, convergent, and
transform plate boundaries just like volcanoes.
• These boundaries are often around seismic belts:
1. Circum –Pacific earthquake belt/Pacific Ring of Fire
2. Mediterranean-Asia earthquake belt/Alpine-Himalayan belt
3. Mid-Atlantic Ridge earthquake belt.
Pacific Ring of Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Fire earthquake belt

Mediterranean-
Asia earthquake
belt
Distribution of Earthquake
1. Circum –Pacific earthquake belt or Pacific Ring of Fire –
long curved of belt of volcanoes and plate boundaries
around the Pacific Ocean.
• Countries and continents situated along the ring of
fire are the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, North and
South America, and New Zealand.
Distribution of Earthquake
2. Mediterranean-Asia earthquake belt or Alpine-Himalayan
belt– includes the Alps and the Himalayan mountain
ranges, as well as the countries of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and
China.
• Some parts of the belt are said to extend to Mongolia
and Myanmar.
Distribution of Earthquake
3. Mid-Atlantic Ridge earthquake belt– some earthquakes
occur along rift valleys or ocean ridges.
• Ridges on the ocean floor form at diverging plate
boundaries where the lithosphere split and creates
new oceanic crust.
• The movement of the ocean floor rumbles through
Earth and generates minor earthquakes, which may
also be accompanied by volcanic eruptions
Earthquake-prone zone in the Philippines
• The West Valley Fault in the Philippines runs along parts of
Marikina, Quezon City, Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal, Cavite,
Taguig, and Pasig.